Centauran (Classic Journeys Era)
Introduction Once known as strict pacifists, Centaurans are crystalline jellyfish-like beings who have shown their capacity for hostility. Those of the homeworld, Centauri, are suspicious of the unenlightened rest of the galaxy, but curious enough to send researchers snooping around from time to time. Lovers of order and learning, they use their powerful telepathic talents to form a tightly-knit society. Natural abilities of self-levitation and glass-spinning make fantastic architectural works possible, and a three hundred and sixty degree visual field facilitates their powers of observation. Biology General The overall shape of a Centauran is radially symmetric, that is, it appears approximately the same from all sides. The body consists of an elongated hemispherical shell consisting of heavy quartz crystal colored in cool hues (usually violets) by other minerals. The outer surface of the skin is also mineralized, but the remainder of tissues are protein-based. Most of the Centauran's organs are found in the tissue attached to the inside and lower lip of of this bell. Eyes are arrayed at regular intevals around the base of the bell, while the single opening of the digestive system is found underneath the edge at one location. The trunk of the body extends down from the apex inside the center of the bell. The top of this section contains the majority of the brain. Surrounding the reproductive tissue, eight flexible tentacles grow from the base of the trunk. Metabolism Centaurans require nitrogen gas to breathe and are poisoned by exposure of the lung to oxygen gas. An optimal temperature of approximately -120°F (84°C) is usually maintained by the breathing apparatus when in oxygen-breather environments, but a Centauran's temperature can vary much more widely than a human's without experiencing permanent damage. Circulation Centaurans possess no blood as such, with various substances carried in molecular tubules. This accounts for their ability to withstand temperatures far from optimal. When injured, however, liquid may seep from their tissue. Average Centauran circulation pressure is 512/16 mmHg, and it has a rate of 5 cycles per minute. Digestion The digestive system, which has a single opening, is stained blue by the colonies of algae that sustain their host with nutrition derived from nitrogen and light. Not much is needed, but proper lighting cannot be done without for more than a couple days. Every few weeks, in order to weave constructs, regenerate broken tentacles, and nourish unborn young, Centaurans must consume matter through an orifice in the base of the bell. Hydrofluoric acid digestive fluid helps them to dissolve the crystalline organisms of their homeworld, but would turn the organics of most other species' food into steaming hot carbon. Most kinds of soil are nutritious, but even glass, inorganic ceramics and composites, and glass-shelled organisms can suffice, if they contain no high levels of toxic metals. Reproduction Centaurans are asexual and pregnancy is automatic every seven years, at which time they gestate for several months until they give birth to a single offspring. The uterus(1) (named so for its basic function, not for any tissue-level similarity to the mammalian organ) is located in the lower trunk between the tentacles. It becomes active at the age of twenty one standard years and remains so until about 250 years of age. Approximately every seven years (barring excessive environmental stresses) during the lowest point in the metabolic cycle, a small portion of the usually inactive pluripotent mass(3) begins rapidly expanding and differentiating. By the peak of the cycle, the young(2) has fully formed and a new layer of epidermis grown between it and the parent, at which point it is removed. The young quickly thereafter begins to lose the tentacle webbing and to replace the chitin shell with a silicate one. Nerves The trunk brain(1) is essentially a homogeneous collection of folded nervous tissue; other than the eight lobes, no substructures are obvious upon visual inspection, though a number of regions are readily differentiated in brain activity scans. Particularly active are the connections among the lobes and the interface with the visual nerve net(2). Nerves, like regulatory pathways and the other classes of Centauran vascular tissue, are bundles of long protein tubules with hollow cores. The channel in each species of tubule is capable of passing only one or two types of ion, and then no more than one at a time; these dedicated channels are extremely rapid and efficient at transporting substances. Centaurans' great tolerance to variations of temperature and pressure is partly explained by their lack of liquid-carrying vessels. This does, however, mean that they have no immune cells circulating; that function is carried on by a colony of microscopic symbiotes. Respiration The lung(2) extends in a ring around the brain(1) in the middle portion of the trunk; from this point up, the trunk is firmly anchored to the bell. Alveoli(3), thickly laced with pulmonary and venous circulatory tubules, perform gas exchange with the air wafted in by cilia(4). Sensory nerve endings near the cilia provide Centaurans with a very limited ability to sense sound, which is strongest in the lower frequencies. Muscles The interior of the tentacles consists primarily of muscle tissue(2) - pairs of contractile filaments existing as long strings of bare protein bundled together. The endings of nerves(3) directly from the lower portion of the trunk brain and circulatory tubules(1) from the middle of the cardionephron are interwoven with the filaments. The epidermis(4) on the tips of the tentacles thins enough to allow nerve endings to reach the surface, making possible highly developed tactile and chemical senses. Integument The translucent epidermis(1), which can range in color from blues and violets to pink, is a tough but flexible protein that covers tentacles and everything inside the bell but for the lung. Covering the other side of the organs is the cuticle(4). This organ, enriched with the dense endings of the subcuticular circulatory net(5) produces a new layer of shell(8) (composed of silicate with traces of violet pigments) during the growth period of each cycle. The cardionephron(2) is packed with conical bundles of special circulatory tubule. By means of carefully regulated rates of diffusion, enormous ion gradients are created between the top and bottom of each nephron. The potential energy of these gradients is the driving force for all nerve and circulatory activity. A highly vascularized layer between the cardionephron and the cuticle is the verdiferous tissue(6) (which is actually rather blue in color). This contains numerous interconnected capsules, ranging in size from microscopic to a few centimeters. The dendritic circulatory net(3) penetrates each capsule with hundreds to millions of tubule endings, providing a large surface area for the growth of the Centaurans' photosynthetic symbiotes. A certain portion of the verdiferous tissue also participates in digestive and storage functions. In order to make use of an enormous visual field (360 degrees horizontally and nearly 180 vertically) generated by their forty-eight eyes (or fifty, in some familial lines) Centaurans require the use of a large organ to preprocess the information. The optic annulus consists of highly folded tissue surrounding a tight bundle of nerve(7) that runs the circumference of the bell. It functions as something like a second brain, processing visual information into spatial relationships. Abstract spatial thought, such as visualizing multi-dimensional data, takes place as a cooperation between the annulus and the trunk brain. The optical nerve(9), along with a specific portion of the subcuticular circulatory net (the ocular circulatory net), passes through a channel in the cuticle and shell to branch out within the support tissue of the eye. The nerve endings connect to the back of the hemispherical retina in a simple one-to-one relationship with the retinal sensors. The circulatory net goes on to exit around the edge of the eye, covering the outer surface(10). Not only does it provide nutrients, but changes in the ion concentrations it carries also affect its transparency and the amount of light reaching the retina. While the retina by itself is a deep violet, the circulatory net gives the eyes an iridescent pinkish tinge. Minor abrasions to the nets of a few eyes make little difference to vision. Serious chips or cracks require an entire growth period or more to recover; if significant portions of the retinal support tissue are destroyed, the eye may never regenerate fully. Senses A ring of forty-eight iridescent pink eyespots (or fifty, in some familial lines) surrounds the base of the bell, providing an enormous and continuous field of vision. Turning around to look in a certain direction is pointless for a being that is nearly radially symmetric. In addition to physical sight, Centaurans have a powerful intuitive sense for visualizing spatial relationships and motion. The ring-shaped lung near the top of the trunk is also the location of their somewhat limited hearing ability. Locomotion Their chief method of locomotion is a smooth glide several feet in the air, accomplished by psionically pressing against the ground (or pulling on a large stationary mass overhead). On average, Centaurans can rise about seven yards above a horizontal surface; with effort, they may be able to attain much greater altitudes. Symbiotes As previously mentioned, the verdiferous tissue(1)does more than support the nutritional symbiotes. A string of large capsules, together with an opening in the epidermis, constitute the oral cavity(2) It is used during the low period of the growth cycle every few weeks to consume, digest, and store nutrients which cannot be provided by the symbiotes. Silicates and other minerals are extracted by the production of a hydrogen fluoride solution which quickly dissolves most substances (and turns organic materials not protected by alkaline conditions into carbon and water). Some of this mineral solution is used for growth, healing and reproduction, while other components are concentrated in the spinneret. This gland, located just inside the opening to the oral cavity, can extrude fiberous silicate crystals. Any material that is indigestible or in excess is expelled from the oral cavity when the growth begins. The Centauran practice of consuming the dead does have some biological underpinnings in that shell material is much more efficiently digested than an equally-sized piece of quartz. Psychology General A peaceful but strong-willed race, the denizens of Centauri are known for their remarkable scientists, physicists and mathematicians. Centaurans can participate in spoken communication, which is more comfortable for many species than telepathy, using special electronic vocalizers. These convert manipulations of brainwaves into speech sounds and vice versa. Centaurans loathe violence and will, as a general rule, pursue diplomatic resolutions to any severe conflict. They are dedicated to the pursuit of science and exploration for peaceful ends, and find science for profit repugnant. Their long term and society-oriented solutions to problems, which may involve death and heavy responsibility, can appear to be coldly logical. But the use of telepathic consensus and their lack of facial expressions do not at all mean that decisions are made without the sharing of emotion. The motivations may simply be difficult for individualists to understand, and the expressions difficult for non-empaths to perceive clearly. Centaurans hold their species in regard above others, respecting the most those civilizations that feel no need to use their power and knowledge in flashy or violent displays. The Maltarian Empire is one such. Those of an older time, who traveled with Sanctuary, may regard aliens as opportunities for gentle study and perhaps companionship. The Centaurans who have read about and lived through the Kretonian occupation and Hiver manipulations may regard aliens with more caution, even suspicion or disgust, while still finding them fascinating and useful in their own way. Society Their society is perhaps best summed up by 'collectivism.' Desiring privacy for its own sake and secrecy for personal reasons are regarded as pathological in Centaurans; the existence of these feelings in other races is a sometimes troubling, but well-recognized oddity. Some information is kept from the other races to prevent danger to themselves and others, but greater and freer communication is generally regarded as the means to a safe environment. Positive socialization and being able to sense organic minds are not only desirable for Centaurans, but essential for mental health. The open exchange of words and feelings among Centaurans allows them to find and treat a wide variety of behavioral and sociological problems (many of which would be regarded as personality traits by other races). To allow for innovation, some harmless eccentricities are allowed, guided by the stabilizing influence of neighbors and colleagues. Simple punishment is regarded as pointless; friendly persuasion, medical treatment, and re-education are used instead, and since antisocial problems are caught early by the telepathic communities, the individual's potential usefulness is largely preserved. If an individual does not respond to treatment, then it is useless to society. It is killed, and its body consumed and spun into new constructions. Aliens are sometimes seen as not worth the trouble of curing and can have odd notions like not wanting their violent tendencies repaired. Any visiting alien that poses violent danger is executed without question or trial. Population control is vital to the Centaurans, given their distaste for colonization. Whenever an important leader dies the Cycling occurs. The Cycling is roughly mass, coordinated suicide. Many Centaurans apply to participate in the Cycling, but few are chosen. To be chosen is considered a great honor, among the noblest possible conclusions of a Centauran's life. Participants in the cycling line up in concentric circles around the remains of their leader. They then fall to the ground, one after the other, shattering into pieces which are gathered up for important construction projects. Memory Emotion Psionics Psychokinesis Telepathy See Also *Centauri *Centauran Timeline *Centauran website ---- category: OtherSpace Races (Classic Journeys Era)